Mumbai: A magistrate court in Andheri has convicted a woman for stealing a newborn baby from a municipal hospital in 2007 and sentenced her to a year of imprisonment. The woman stole the baby as she was unable to conceive in 10 years of her marriage. She faked her pregnancy in front of her family and in-laws after her pregnant friend promised to hand over her child after delivery. But after the friend refused to hand over the baby, the accused was in quandary as she had faked her pregnancy before her family and in-laws. Hence, she decided to steal a baby.
After considering the facts of the case, the court showed leniency and awarded her a lesser sentence.
The prosecution’s case is that Reeta Yadav gave birth to a baby boy on May 5, 2007 at Squatters Colony, municipal hospital in Jogeshwari. Two days later, an unknown lady dressed as a nurse came to her ward and checked all the babies, including her son.
The accused then told her that her child was not well and needed to be kept in a box. This nurse also told them that she would return the baby within an hour.
Santosh Yadav, the complainant’s husband, was also present on the scene. After 30 minutes, Reeta asked her him to check on the baby, but he was unable to find him or the nurse who took him away. That’s when they realised that the child had been kidnapped.
During investigations, the Meghwadi police received a tip off about a woman, who had possession of a newborn baby in suspicious circumstances. Following the tip, the cops found a baby with the accused, Naznin Shaikh, a beautician. During interrogation the lady said she had given birth to the baby but could not furnish birth certificate for the same and also failed to answer several questions. After a lot of interrogation, she confessed to stealing the baby.
The prosecution examined only two witnesses, the mother of the stolen child and a punch witness.
They also recovered the baby’s cloth and bag from the house of a second accused, who had assisted in the kidnapping. Though magistrate A. A. Panchbhai acquitted Nafisa, who according to accused had promised to give her baby up but later refused. Instead, she advised her to steal a baby. The third accused Anisa Shaikh died before commencement of trial. Reeta Yadav identified Naznin in the court, as the one who had stolen baby.
